- Source: Beach Blanket Babylon
Steve Silver's Beach Blanket Babylon was the world's longest-running musical revue. The show began its run in 1974, at the Savoy Tivoli and later moved to the larger Club Fugazi in the North Beach district of San Francisco.
The show was created by Steve Silver (1944–1995) along with sisters, native San Franciscans, Roberta and Nancy Bleiweiss. The three started on the streets of San Francisco. Nancy was the star of the show, created her characters and wrote all her own dialogue for all her characters for The Valentine Show (which preceded BBB at the Savoy Tivoli) in Beach Blanket Babylon and Beach Blanket Babylon Goes Bananas, Roberta was the show's manager, Associate Director, Promotion and Publicity Director, Box Office Manager (She made the original tickets for the show (that performed at the Savoy Tivoli) on a copy machine, cut them with scissors and sold the tickets for $2.50 from her home, as a make-shift box office. She then took the tickets to the Tivoli and sold tickets at the door before getting ready to also be a performer in the original show), procured sponsors for the original shows, did the accounting and wrote checks and also performed in the original shows at Savoy Tivoli, Olympus, Dance Your Ass Off and Club Fugazi.
The character of Snow White did not appear in the original shows. It wasn't until the two sisters were no longer in the show that the show title changed to Beach Blanket Babylon Goes to the Stars.
and continued since 1995 under the direction of his widow, Jo Schuman Silver, with frequent changes and spoofs of pop and political culture. Performers wear disproportionately large hats/wigs and gaudy costumes while performing satirical renditions of popular songs.
On April 17, 2019, Jo Schuman Silver announced to the staff that the show would be closing on New Year's Eve.
Plot summary
The original Beach Blanket Babylon (started in 1974) and Beach Blanket Babylon Goes Bananas (that started in 1975) evolved from the street group that Roberta and Nancy Bleiweiss and Steve Silver performed on the streets of San Francisco during the early 70s when street artists made a living performing.'Beach Blanket Babylon Goes to the Stars' did not start until the late 70s. It follows Snow White as she takes a fast-paced journey around the world in search of her "Prince Charming". Along the way she encounters a large group of figures from popular culture, who together perform satirical songs. Figures lampooned include politicians and political figures from the San Francisco, California and U.S. governments, film and television stars, famous singers and athletes, and others who have been in the news. Also present are long-running characters such as Glinda the Good Witch, Mr. Peanut, Louis XIV, Oprah Winfrey, James Brown, Tina Turner, Carmen Miranda, Elvis Presley, a band of dancing French Poodles, and Snow White's tour guide, a female narrator who takes on several incarnations from an Italian pizza lady to a cowgirl.
Reviews
The show was described as "A constant cascade of showstoppers" by the San Francisco Chronicle in 2010.
Awards and accolades
In 1996, the 600 block of Green Street, between Columbus Avenue and Powell Street, was renamed "Beach Blanket Babylon Boulevard" in honor of Steve Silver.
Final cast
Final production team
Former cast and alumni
Jeffrey Scott Adair 1988–1989 (performer, hat maker)
Michael Benbrook, 1986–1993 (performer) – King Louis XIV
Nancy Bleiweiss, 1974–1977 (performer) – Carmen Miranda, Opera divas, Glinda the Good Witch
Bill Kendall, 1974-1982 (performer) - Superman, John Travolta Sat Night Fever, The Original Mr. Peanut.
Roberta Bleiweiss, 1974–1977 (Associate Director, Manager, accountant, Promotion and Publicity Director, procurer of major sponsors and creator of her character and performer)
John Bush, 1980–1981 (performer)
Hayden Hicks, 1983–1985 (performer) Mahatma Gandhi
Robert Danielson - 1985-2005 -(Drummer)- Beach Blanket Babylon in San Francisco and London Tour
Val Diamond, 1979–2009 (performer) – Alexis Carrington Colby, Gidget, Mahatma Gandhi, Queen Elizabeth II, Jewish mother, Marie Antoinette, French whore, "San Francisco" Finale Chanteuse
Sandy Flavin 1981-1984 Understudy to Val Diamond and Susan Parks (1981-1983) Performer 1984–1985. Was the youngest performer to be hired up to 1981.
Glenda Glayzer, 1975–1979 (performer) - AM I BLUE
Ed Goldfarb, 1995–2005 (music director)
Christopher Goodwin, 2005-2007 2011-2019 (performer) Donald Trump, Armistead Maupin, Princess Leia, Mr. Peanut
Alan Greenspan, 1978– Hat-Maker (Finale Hats Creator/Executor, Special Effects, Props)
Brent Holland, 1984-1990 1998–2000, (performer) - King Louis XIV
Ben Jones, 2008-2009 (performer) – Elvis, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Michael Jackson, Michael Phelps, Arnold Schwarzenegger
Teresa Leonard, 1980–1981 (performer)
Chris March, 1990–2000? (costume/hat/wig designer; performer) – Elizabeth Taylor, Wonder Woman, Monica Lewinsky
Dani Marcus (performer)- Snow White
Anna Ty Bergman (performer)
Ellyn Marie Marsh, 2002–2003 (performer) – Barbra Streisand, Britney Spears, Hillary Clinton, Pineapple Princess
Stirland Martin, 1993-2004 (performer) - James Brown, Witch Doctor, French Poodle, Willie Brown, Prince, Mike Tyson, DIddy, Nutcracker
Armistead Maupin, 1974 (writer)
Tony Michaels, 1974 (performer) – Beach Blanket Babylon at Club Olympus
Tony Michaels, 1975–1978 (performer) – Beach Blanket Babylon Goes Bananas!
Skye Dee Miles
Shoni Mero (performer) Hillary Clinton
Robin Murray stage manager 1980-1988
Jeff Robertson, 1980–1981 (performer)
Rick Roemer, 1977–1979 (performer) – Beach Blanket Babylon Goes to the Stars!
Jill Shutt, 1989–1992 (Val Diamond's understudy)
Paul Thomas (director), 1974 (performer) - Beach Blanket Babylon in San Francisco
Ledisi Young, 1990–2001 (performer)
Richard Waits (performer)
Adam Savage (stagehand)
Tours
Two tours were produced, in London and Las Vegas, in celebration of Beach Blanket's 20th and 25th anniversaries. The show also has a smaller touring cast that caters primarily to corporate events and parties around the world.
London:
Val Diamond
Doug Magpiong
Tony Stroh
Erica Wyman
Dana Adkins
Tony Tripoli
Renee Lubin
Cristina VanValkenburg
Lisa Burnett Bossi
Stirland Martin
Kenny Mazlow
Robert Danielson (musician)
Las Vegas:
Jeffrey Scott Adair (performer)
Shelley Werk (performer)
David Reynolds (performer)
Kenny Mazlow (performer)
John Paul Almon (performer)
Robin Cohen (performer)
Patrick Reese (performer)
Richard Pardini (performer)
Robert Hempstead (performer)
Janice Sands (performer)
Joan Benson (performer)
Stuart May (performer)
Wanda Houston (performer)
Sylvia MacCalla (performer)
Holly Vonk (performer)
Clay Adkins (performer)
Jacqui Marshall (performer)
Diane Ellis (performer)
Richie Sacks (performer)
Beach Blanket Babylon, London, Restaurant
Named after the show, however not to be confused with the unrelated Beach Blanket Babylon, a London restaurant with branches in Notting Hill and Shoreditch.
References
External links
San Francisco Chronicle Review – 4/29/2010
Early Video
"Savoy Tivoli". YouTube.com. 9 January 2019. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
"Snow's Turn Penny Hamilton". YouTube.com. 2 February 2012. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
"New York Ending". YouTube.com. 9 June 2013. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
Showstack, Randy (1997). "Happy Trails". Eos Transactions. 78 (33): 342. Bibcode:1997EOSTr..78R.342S. doi:10.1029/EO078i033p00342-02. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
"Up the Lazy River Phil Tobus". YouTube.com. 9 January 2019. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
"As Time Goes By Steve Scott 1979". YouTube.com. 9 January 2019. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
Kata Kunci Pencarian:
- Academy Awards ke-61
- Beach Blanket Babylon
- Beach Blanket Bingo
- Club Fugazi
- Fugazi (disambiguation)
- Allan Carr
- List of theatres in San Francisco
- Theme from San Francisco
- BBB
- Val Diamond
- Chris March